Will Wilshire Blvd. Take L.A. Back to the Future?

Presented with generous support from Karsh Family Foundation, in partnership with Broad Foundation

Sunset gets the Hollywood treatment. Jonathan Gold famously ate Pico. And then there’s Wilshire, the east-west boulevard stretching nearly 16 miles, from downtown to Santa Monica, whose development reflects Los Angeles’ long history, growth, and values.

This hop-on, hop-off guided private bus tour will trace the boulevard and our city’s story. Starting at its accidental eastern terminus into MacArthur Park, we’ll traverse past Art Deco architecture and Mexican fan palms, through bustling ethnic enclaves like Koreatown and “Tehrangeles,” and cruise alongside artistic hubs emblematic of the city’s creativity. The drive will also parallel the new Metro D Line: the latest in a series of transportation innovations on Wilshire, from scrapped Pacific Electric “red cars” to synchronized traffic lights—an evolution that embodies L.A.’s on-again off-again romance with public transportation and the automobile.

How does Wilshire reflect the civic, cultural, and commercial dreams of Angelenos? What does new transit development signal about L.A.’s past and future? Ride along with journalist and Wilshire Boulevard historian Kevin Roderick and L.A. Metro archivist Claire Kennedy from One Wilshire to the Pacific to learn about the storied, sprawling, essential artery of Los Angeles.

This program is part of, a suite of free Zócalo events and essays, bringing together leaders and thinkers from all walks of life to envision California’s next 175 years.

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